Creator of the Android operating system to produce $699 Essential Phone, which company says can withstand a concrete landing

Andy Rubin, the father of the Android operating software, is jumping into the cutthroat smartphone market with the Essential Phone, an attempt to claw away customers from Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

Mr. Rubin designed the $699 phone in titanium, a material that Essential Products Inc. says can withstand a concrete landing unscarred. The phone has magnetic connectors to accommodate modular accessories, such as a 360-degree...